Geek out with a Star Wars arcade cabinet and app-controlled Stormtrooper robot for $350

My birthday is only two weeks away, so I need to start dropping some hints now. If, like me, you’re of a certain age, you’ll remember the Star Wars arcade game that put you in the cockpit of an X-wing as you flew through the vector-graphics trenches of the Death Star, navigating with an authentic yoke. Arcade1Up has recreated that old cabinet in 3/4 scale. Combined with the riser, it stands at a perfectly playable 60 inches high. Right now, you can get Arcade1Up’s Star Wars cabinet, riser and a bonus Stormtrooper robot (more on that in a moment) for $350. That’s a savings of about $186.

The last time I wrote about Arcade1Up’s Star Wars cabinet it was selling for $449 with riser, so this is a remarkable deal. The game, of course, speaks for itself: You use a cool-looking flight yoke to alternate between shooting TIE fighters in space and running trenches on the Death Star, eventually getting to drop a torpedo into the exhaust port just like you used to bullseye womp rats in your T-16 back home.

But wait, that’s not all. This cabinet comes bundled with Ubtech’s Star Wars First Order Stormtrooper Robot. It stands just short of a foot high and is controlled by voice or using an app on your phone or tablet. It has facial recognition and can patrol your house, recognizing up to three people and challenging everyone else as a potential Rebel. The Stormtrooper debuted around $300, but you can now find the Stormtrooper robot at retailers like Amazon for about $80. Even regularly priced at $80, though, this bundle is a great bargain when paired up with the arcade cabinet for $350 total. Please, someone: My birthday is right around the corner.